In the Shadow of a Tyrant
by ThatTexasKid
Summary: Prince Taka is born envious. His father cares little for him, and his older brother Mufasa is the center of attention, as well as the epitome of what a lion should be. Taka will do anything to get what he feels he deserves, but a strange, almost prophetic nightmare may change the course of Prideland history...
1. Prologue

**Hello all, and welcome to my latest story. I've found that I have never written a Taka/Scar-centric story, and I felt that I should remedy that fact. PLEASE DO NOT FORGET TO LEAVE ME A REVIEW! Updates are not going to be on a set schedule, and I have a busy life, so they won't be every day, but I'll try to post whenever I can. Well, I think that I have done enough blabbing, so without any further ado, here is the first chapter!**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING**

Ahadi, king of the entirety of the Pridelands, stood atop the regal, magnificent stone much better known as Pride Rock. The gentle African wind brushed upon his midnight black mane, bristling the king's golden fur.

The king opened his eyes, revealing a color of amber, with tints of brown spread throughout his pupils. The sun gave the light from its rays, illuminated the bright green grass and the small grove of trees that clearly defined the boundary of Pridelander Territory.

At that precise moment, Ahadi felt a light muzzle press up against his right cheek. The king smiled knowing that the muzzle belonged to a brown-furred green-eyed lioness that he adored to the very fiber of his being.

"Good morning Uru."

The queen of the Pridelands grinned at her king, and the two silently pressed their muzzles together. Not long after, they both pulled back, and Uru spoke, her voice carrying a gentle and soft yet joyful tone.

"I have great news Ahadi."

The king's face transfigured into a puzzled expression, the monarch having no inclination of what this particular information may consist of. Uru laughed softly at his indecision.

"Ahadi….I am with cub!"

The king frowned, slightly surprising his mate. Uru frowned as well, but for an entirely different reason. "Ahadi? Isn't this good news?"

Ahadi sighed. "Uru…we agreed that Mufasa would be the only-"

Uru snarled in response to that statement. "Ahadi, you knew I was in heat, but-"

"Uru, I'm not that upset! This is just a bit of a surprise, that's all!"

The queen's brown face made an expression that made it clear that she was in no way convinced. Ahadi faked a smile, and nuzzled his wife gently.

"Don't worry darling, I'm happy. I'm just a little worried that this cub will try to take…never mind…speaking of Mufasa, where is he?"

Uru smiled at the thought of her two-month old son and heir. "He's with my father. I think he's telling him and Sarabi stories about his reign."

Ahadi smiled as well at that thought. After Mohatu had given up the throne to Uru and himself, the old lion had not had much action other than an advising role. Since the birth of Prince Mufasa, Mohatu had been able to fill a role that very few lions could even dream of having; the role of a Grandfather.

Uru then began to retreat back into the den, with Ahadi following close behind, silently getting used to the idea that he was going to be the father of a cub once again.

_Four Months Later…_

Uru's cries of pain greatly unnerved King Ahadi as he paced around on the tip of Pride Rock, waiting for the opportunity to see his new cub for the first time.

The queen had been in labor for eight hours now, two hours more than she had been with Prince Mufasa. With every passing second, Ahadi grew more and more nervous over the safety of his wife, but not necessarily his cub. The king still did not know what to think of being a father again.

The nagging paranoia that this cub would try to steal the throne from Mufasa still lingered, the thought coming into his mind almost every single day. As hard as he tried to push these thoughts away, the nostalgia pressed onward and upward.

At that moment, Rafiki slowly padded out of the den, his head leaning against his staff in a combination of exhaustion and sadness. Ahadi ran up to the mandrill in anticipation.

"How did it all go? What happened with the birth? Is Uru feeling all right?"

Rafiki held up a hand to silence the king, and he then spoke softly. "The cub has been born. It is a male, and he is healthy. Uru, I'm afraid, is not faring too well. She has lost a lot of blood, and her chances of surviving and dying are pretty even at the moment."

Ahadi narrowed his eyes. "May I see them?"

Rafiki nodded, and motioned towards the inside of the den, and Ahadi slowly padded inside, the light of the sun illuminating the area less and less the further inside he traveled.

That was when he saw Uru sleeping, her stomach rising up and down, lying in a small puddle of her own crimson blood. Several meters away from her, a small bundle of mangle fur lay peacefully slumbering as well.

Ahadi let a small, deep growl flow through his muzzle. He slowly made his approached the little cub. Let it be known that Rafiki had re-entered the den as well, and was now standing several meters behind Ahadi. Meanwhile, the king now had a clear view of the brown ball of fur that was his second son.

"So it was you that has caused my dear Uru all of this pain, and may even end her life! Some son you are to your mother…I think I know exactly what to name you. Taka. Trash, because you have been nothing but trash to your mother."

Rafiki now made his opinion known. "I agree with the name your majesty. Only trash would harm someone as great as Uru."

As if she was waiting for her cue, Uru now awoke, and she turned to Ahadi, beaming proudly at her mate, and she spoke, very softly I might add.

"Ahadi…look at our son…isn't he precious?"

The king of the Pridelands grumbled in annoyance. "Oh, he is precious all right. So very…very…precious."

**Well, that is going to be all that I am going to write for now! As mentioned previously, please do not forget to kindly leave me a review. I will try to have the next chapter up whenever I can, but it might be a little while, so please hang with me here. Well, until the next time, take care and thank y'all very much for reading!**

**-Tex-**


	2. Fatherly Advice

**Hello all, and welcome to the second chapter! I'd like to give a huge shout out to everybody who reviewed the last chapter. Y'all are the reason that I write! Also, do not forget to check out my other ongoing TLK story, **_**Birth of Steele**_**. I worked hard on it, and I hope y'all will like that one too. Well, I think that I have done enough blabbing, so without any further ado, here is the second chapter!**

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING**

The next morning, the sun rose gallantly over the African Savannah. Far away, in the world of humans, very few places have a sunrise quite as beautiful as the one the Pridelands offered the world.

On the tip of the majestic formation known as Pride Rock, Ahadi stood over his lands, the wind flowing like a rushing rapid through his pitch black mane. Uru's condition had significantly improved since the previous day, and anything less than a full recovery would be a shock. The king chuckled to himself. His mate had already gained her characteristic feistiness back.

A gruff but kind voice suddenly rang out in the direction of Ahadi, surprising the king slightly.

"Good morning Ahadi."

The king turned around and smiled, knowing exactly to whom the voice belonged to. "Good morning to you as well, Mohatu."

The former king smiled gently, his blood red mane also flowing in the wind. "I hope your morning has fared well so far, because it will not be so pleasant for all that much longer."

Ahadi's facial expression transfigured in to one of astute confusion. "I'm not following…"

Mohatu suddenly narrowed his amber eyes and began to snarl lightly. "How dare you Ahadi? How dare you?"

The statement only caused Ahadi's confusion to only grow. "I still have no idea what the hell you're saying Mohatu…"

Mohatu sighed and his eyes narrowed further, becoming nothing more than narrow slits on his golden face. "How dare you name my grandson trash? How dare you curse him with a name of spite and anger? Do you realize what you have done Ahadi?"

Ahadi shrugged absentmindedly. "I gave the little piece of trash the name that it properly deserved. I dare you to forget that it's YOUR daughter that the little bastard nearly killed. Hell, even Rafiki agrees with me!"

Mohatu sighed in annoyance and anger. "I am going to have to have a very serious talk with that monkey. But that does not warrant your behavior Ahadi. Whether you like it or not, the cub is your son, and you need to treat…Taka…with the love and respect that he deserves."

It was then when Ahadi slumped to the ground and began to sob. "I don't know what's wrong with me Mohatu…One second, that cub is the total bane of my existence, and the next, I feel so guilty for hating him the way I do. What kind of lion am I Mohatu?"

Mohatu sighed sadly. "I had a dream last night, Ahadi. A quite troubling dream, at that. I'm warning you, my son. You have quite possibly set off a chain of events by naming the cub Taka. Whether the dark future that I saw in my dream comes to pass is in the hands of not just the Great Kings of the Past, but in your own as well. Tread the water carefully, Ahadi."

Before the current king could think of a response, Mohatu turned tail and slowly padded back into the den, leaving Ahadi consumed by a torrent of thoughts.

_Seems like old Mohatu has finally become senile…but…my father in law isn't really all that old, is he now? _

The king chuckled lightly, the contempt evident in the tone of his laugh.

_The mook is listening to those supposed "Great Kings of the Past" again. I don't know who the hell fed him that shit, but it sure as hell ain't true. You don't become some pretty, twinkly piece of shit when you die. Those legends are for those who are simply afraid of the dark…_

As Ahadi contemplated his philosophies, a certain crown prince was incredibly excited to meet his new, younger sibling.

Uru smiled as young Mufasa sprinted into the den. The cub was a splitting image of his grandfather, with golden fur, caring amber eyes, and a small tuft of red mane growing on the top of his head.

Unfortunately, the cub was unable to control his own momentum, and he crashed into his mother's leg. Uru laughed as Mufasa squirmed to upright his position once again.

"Good morning my sweet son. Are you ready to meet your new brother?"

The young crown prince nodded eagerly, and Uru took Taka from behind her back, and held him out towards Mufasa. The young cub's eyes widened in absolute awe as he saw his brother for the very first time.

"He's…he's…he's so tiny!"

Uru chuckled lightly, before nuzzling Taka lightly on the head. "Your brother's name is…" The new mother grimaced before speaking again, the grimace going completely unnoticed by Mufasa. "His name is Taka."

Mufasa let the name flow on his tongue. "Taka…Little Taka…"

The crown prince tried to make an intimidating expression as he spoke again. "I'm going to be his protector! I'll show him everywhere, and we'll be the bestest friends that there ever were, and we-"

Uru nuzzled Mufasa lightly before pushing him away gently. "That's enough for now Mufasa. Taka needs to sleep now. Why don't you go play with Sarabi?"

Mufasa nodded eagerly, and the cub dashed out of the cave , off to find his young, female friend.

**Well, that is going to be all that I am going to write for now. I would like to thank everybody very much for taking the time to read this, and, as mentioned previously, PLEASE DO NOT FORGET TO LEAVE ME A REVIEW! If I feel I get enough reception, I will try to have the next chapter up whenever I can. Until then, take care, and thanks again for reading!**

**-Tex-**


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